I Love Dogs

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

PRIMO WAS BAD-TEMPERED this morning because I did not allow him to go out of the house to follow my mom, who was brought outside for fresh air and some sun by her caregiver.

My poochikin.

Primo the Poogle Dog

A 50/50 mix of purebred Poodle and a purebred Beagle, Primo feels like he’s the ultimate protector of my mom, who is sick with diabetes and now undergoing dialysis twice a week. Whenever he sees Rhoda (my mom’s caregiver) pulling the wheelchair out of its nook, that’s also the time he would make sharp barking cries.

But Poogle dogs are not protectors. If there’s anything, they’re watchdogs or alert dogs fit for owners, who do not want the responsibility of powerful guard dogs like Chow Chow, Belgian Malinois, Giant Schnauzer, or Doberman that have menacing barks and fierce bites.

I want a Giant Schnauzer too… sigh…

Primo is just the perfect dog for me with his wavy coat of black (with streaks of gray and white) hair, playful temperament, and affectionate personality. He’s very, very smart and learned fast when we taught him to sit, lay down, shake hands, stand, jump, and stay put to receive his food.

I used to give him his bath, cut his nails, clean his ears and all that, but the chores have eventually become too much for me since two months ago. Giving him a bath is literally chasing him inside my bathroom, and cutting his nails is like doing the same to a pachyderm.

Today, instead of doing the usual dog grooming chores myself, I decided to bring him instead to the Dirty Hairy Pet Salon near the Provincial Capitol Compound area. I had to hold and carry him well enough on the way for fear that he would do something crazy to escape and run around.

He’s done that once, and he was nearly hit by a car. Fortunately, the driver was quick enough to step on the brakes. I can’t live with the same nightmare again, please.

When we reach the dog grooming salon, I had to warn the guy to be observant because Primo is cunning during events like this, and knows skillful acts to escape his watcher. He would pretend to bite but not really sink his teeth (only to scare); and he would keep still when told, but the second he gets the chance and you’re not looking, he would run fast away and give you a hard time catching him.

Aw, look, ma… no tricks or crazy antics for me today.

However, at the grooming salon when we were truly inside, Primo gave me the surprise when he didn’t do anything crazy at all. He just surrendered himself to the groomer, and didn’t try to break free. He’s irritated when I’m cutting his nails, but to the groomer, he was very submissive, I was happy 🙂

AT THE GROOMING SALON, I SPENT PHP1,130.00 or US$ 23.7590 :

PHP400.00-PHP450.00 for all grooming services

PHP450.00 for Frontline Plus Anti-flea solution

PHP30.00 for low-calorie dog treat

PHP250.00 new dog water bowl

I am so glad there’s Dirty Hairy now in Puerto Princesa. Not bad for Primo 🙂 and well, my sanity. And I don’t mind a monthly Dirty Hairy kind of day for my poochikin.